The two men looked at each other and started placing each book on the shelves. The girl did not move one inch and stayed quiet the whole time. It was past one PM, and it made Aper think why she was asleep at that hour since she had to go to a conference.
He went next to her and stroked her arm gently, watching her move on the other side. Mushu came by his legs and gave him a pleading look. The boy looked at him and heard the soft sound of the cat's belly, asking for something edible.
"Can you give Mushu some food, Mr. Dulles? I will try to wake up Skyleene."
The man confirmed and left with the cat to the kitchen, leaving Koden in the living room.
He did not know how to wake her up. His eyes landed on the glass filled with water, standing on the small coffee table next to him. His hand slowly grabbed the china and poured the liquid on the girl's sleeping face. She woke up by the water drops that were all over her face, making her unable to see or breathe properly. She sat up and started rubbing her hands on her eyes, coughing loudly. Next to her, Aper just smirked and placed the empty glass back on the table, stepping closer to her to stroke her back. She glanced at him and left his side with a frown, getting inside a room that, for Aper, looked like a bathroom. From behind him, Old Dulles noticed the black material hanging on the wardrobe door inside her room. He had been there a couple of times and missed seeing the old organized Skyleene Cathle.
"She must have had a rough night," Aper said with his back facing Dulles.
"It is one of those days when she drowns in books and forgets about herself", he replied.
Skyleene opened the door to the bathroom and stepped out of it with a towel in her hands, rubbing her face lightly.
"Gentlemen, with what privilege do I find you in my house?" she asked, giving Aper a bad look. She left the towel rest on her arm, waiting for an answer.
"Don't tell me you forgot you have a masked ball tonight", Aper replied.
"It's today? But you said it is in two days-"
"That passed. What were you so caught up in that you did not even notice?" Aper said coldly.
"I gathered up some information about the flower. I am sorry that I want this case solved."
Old Dulles noticed the growing tension and did not like it.
He went to the open closet door and took the black dress in his hands. He examined the material, the dress model and its stitches. His eyes moved back to the girl and imagined her in the black dress. With the mask that Aper bought, she would look stunning; everyone would finally congratulate him for having such a beautiful, hard-working and well-behaved pupil. With a glory in his eyes, he went to her.
"My child, let's not waste any more time and get ready. We have a ball to attend to."
"Just to be sure, you know I will not participate in the conference, right?"
"The conference is only for academics, and you are not one. I don't even want you to attend it."
"Then why am I coming? Only to make you look good?"
"Yes. Plus the fact that you are my only student. You have to make a good impression on my colleagues, so a good academic will take you as their pupil after your last mission from me."
"I still do not get why they took your students and did not give you new ones, but who am I to not trust the headquarters."
Skyleene took her dress and went inside her room, coming out of it with a towel and a bathrobe. She signaled the two men to wait for her and left in the bathroom.
After 15 minutes, she came out with her towel wrapped around her hair and the bathrobe covering her wet body. Aper turned his head away while Old Dulles laughed at his gesture. Skyleene ignored them and closed her bedroom door behind her.
While the men waited for her, she dressed the black material and dried her hair. When she came out of the room, her hair was a mess, and that made the men laugh. She sighed and sat on the couch, waiting for them to lose their laughing appetite.
After they stopped, Old Dulles sat beside her and played with her hair while Aper was studying her figure. The black dress fit her body perfectly, making her waist shine. Her legs were skinny, her skin was white, and her body was small. She was a complete doll.
"I can try something to your hair if you would like", Old Dulles said.
"Please repair this mess", she answered.
The man took her hand and gently directed her to a chair. He brought a hairbrush, bobby pins, elastics, hair spray and a mirror.
Skyleene wanted to hold the mirror, but he did not let her. He started doing her hair, feeling the girl's head getting softer and softer in his hold. She fell asleep.
When she woke up, Old Dulles and Aper looked at her in amazement. Her hair was now up in a loose hair bun, with some rebel strands coming on her face. She never had such care in her living life, and having someone to do her hair for her meant a lot. She would miss Old Dulles - that was for sure.
She admired herself in the mirror and thanked the elder for her hairstyle. Aper looked at her and smiled sincerely. He gave her a black lace mask that covered only her forehead and half of the cheekbones. He gently tied the straps around her head and took one last look at her. His hands fell to her shoulders and his eyes locked with hers. She looked at him with a weird feeling in her stomach. She felt his touch gentle for the first time and loved it.
❧
Old Dulles and Skyleene left for the reunion, leaving Aper at her place to take care of Mushu. They were silently sitting in the car, lost in the silent night. The hand clock from his wrist indicated five thirty PM; half an hour until the whole conference would start.
Old Dulles turned his gaze to the small figure next to him and felt how anxious she was. Since the car sent from the council came to pick them up, she did not say a word. Her hands rubbed against each other, so he placed his hand over them to stop their movement. She looked at him questioningly as he just smiled lovingly at her.
"What is going on in your mind?" he asked in a low tone.
"I'm scared. I have never attended important parties."
"It is going to be alright. You know most of the people from the Academy. A lot of them hold admiration for you - even the academics."
"What did I do to deserve their admiration?"
"You never gave up. Ever since I brought you to the Academy, you have always shown interest in what we do. You were my first ever student to reach the groundwork so fast. Because of you, I also managed to get a better place in the circle."
"I never knew that," she whispered, lowering her head.
"You did the best work in our whole Academy history."
She hummed in response. Her head turned to look at the window once again, letting Old Dulles know that she did not want to talk anymore. He respected her decision and removed his hand from her hands' embrace. He fell in his thoughts once again.
Skyleene silently enjoyed the view. The shapes of the trees and people colliding together made her realize how similar they are to their surroundings. A picture with Aper appeared in front of her, making her eyes widen. It was a picture with him when he tied the mask for her. The way he looked at her was not with hate or disgust. It was a loving tone in his irises that reminded her of her brother. When they were young, her sibling used to look at her the same way when she was not feeling confident. As time passed, he changed into the cruelest person. He forgot about all the things she sacrificed for him to reach the top - one of them being the parenting love that she wished she received at least once. She made her parents focus more on his needs and forget about her so he could reach his goal easier. He later realized that he forgot about his sister and missed those times when they used to have fun together - but it was too late. When he reached his parent's home, she already passed the gate to the white abyss. Before the door closed, she took a last glimpse at the body that used to be hers and felt a tear leave her left eye when her brother hugged the cold corpse of his once-beloved sister.
After 35 years, she never forgot the way he used to look at her. She knew she was safe in his hold and forgave him for forgetting about her. It was the risk she willingly took for him to repay his kindness for all those times when he would listen to her sad self for hours.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden break. Her body moved forward and was about to hit the driver's seat, but two arms held on to her waist. She looked at the man next to her and thanked him with her eyes and a faint smile. He let her go and exited the car, going to her side to open the door. She accepted his hand and got out of the vehicle.
In front of them was the Academy in its splendor. From inside, you could see the lights reaching the front maroon gate colliding with the moonlight, making the old beige building look magical. Pupils with their tutors entered the open doors, all dressed accordingly, with masks, long dresses or tuxedos. The tutors were the only ones who did not wear a mask, while the students all had one.
After examining the girl students' gowns, she realized she was the only one with a train and short length in the front. All the other dresses were long and fit on the body, with clear back or cleavage. She got glares and whispers from the students they passed, leaving murmurs behind each step.
She lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. That action attracted a gentle hand squeeze from Old Dulles, who proudly held her hand with his arm. She made a small smile and entered the main hall.
❧
Left alone with the cat, Aper started feeling bored. Since the two of them left, he has not stopped thinking of Skyleene's soft and warm skin. The way the dress fit her body perfectly and the mask he bought only made it better. Her blue eyes pierced through his soul and made him realize how beautiful she was. He never looked at women before like he did with her. He was slowly losing his mind for her.
Mushu watched him tramping in the room and tried to understand what was going on in his mind. When he met Skyleene, he never thought that he would get stuck with her for that long. Through time, he learned her ways and how she would react in different situations. He noticed how stubborn she was or how indecisive, but he never forgot how strong and loving she was. Her determination made him get some courage, and his laziness faded with time. He had been in his cat form all that time, so it was only understandable how he would fall asleep first and have lazy days.
He looked again at the man that had then stopped moving and sat on the couch. His hands covered his face, and his head rested on the back of the sofa. The man's hair was ravished and looked like a nest, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the first three buttons and gave him a messed up vibe. Mushu tilted his head and wondered if Aper was feeling hopeless just because of Skyleene. He wanted to talk with him, but only Skyleene could hear his voice.
Aper sighed deeply and looked at the black cat that sat on the armchair.
"How is it that she says you talk, but you do not say a word? Mind explaining to me how this works?" He puffed. "Now I am talking to a cat. How wonderful! I think I've lost it, right cat?" he laughed sadly.